For drawers without the closing device, the drawer that has been moved to a closed position will sometimes not be fully closed and the front panel of the drawer projects from the furniture body. As a result, it is possible for persons to bump against the front panel and injury of such persons may occur. Also, when the drawer has been pushed into the furniture body with too much energy, the drawer may again roll forward or rebound because of the excessive energy.
An existing drawer closing device has been disclosed in the Malaysian patent application no. P1 20021815. This existing closing device comprises an elongate hollow cylindrical housing having an axial slot extending from one end over at least a part of the body and a second L-shaped axial slot, a cylindrical member telescopically attached within the hollow cylindrical housing and rotatable therein with the cylindrical member having a projection extending out of the second L-shaped axial slot and a resilient member attached to the second end of the hollow housing and a rear end of the cylindrical member. The resilient member pulls the cylindrical member towards the second end of the hollow housing. The cylindrical member is disposed with an angular slot on its top surface for receiving a guiding pin of the drawer roller guide. The angled section of the second L-shaped axial slot defines a locking step for locking the axial movement of the cylindrical member.
When the drawer is opened, the guiding pin which is engaged within the angular slot pulls the cylindrical member together with the attached resilient member through the first axial slot towards the locking step. As the cylindrical member is moved axially through the first axial slot, the projection moves simultaneously within the straight section towards the angled section of the second axial slot. Upon reaching the locking step, the projection is slotted into the angled section, thereby locking the cylindrical member in position. The cylindrical member is then urged to rotate by the action of the guiding pin in the angular slot, with the guiding pin subsequently released.
With this prior closing device, the integrity of the elongate hollow housing is compromised due to the second L-shaped axial slot disposed at its side. Also, the cylindrical member is prevented and/or guided against rotational movement only by the action of the projection through the straight section of the second L-shaped axial slot. In use, this minimal guiding is not always effective at preventing initial rotational movement. Any rotational movement of the cylindrical member whilst the projection is engaged in the straight section of the second axial slot will distort the position of the guiding pin within the angular slot and cause the drawer and closing device to jam.
It has also been observed in practice, that the direct coupling of the resilient member to the cylindrical member causes friction which results in more force needing to be applied for the rotational movement of the cylindrical member. This problem together with the problems of the preceding paragraph would inevitably cause the operation of the prior closing device to be not as smooth and reliable as desired.
Additionally, the assembly of the prior closing device is also undesirably complicated due to the side projection of the cylindrical member. The cylindrical member needs to be inserted into the housing firstly, before the subsequent insertion of the side projection through the second axial slot. The second L-shaped axial slot also complicates the manufacturing of the hollow housing.
This invention thus aims to alleviate some or all of the problems of the prior art, and to provide a closing device that operates smoothly with better reliability as well as allows for ease of manufacture and assembly.